Chapter 26

“It has been a while, Ryu. Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you.”

Yeah, this presence was definitely Dowal’s. Just as I thought, the mess seemed to have been resolved.

“I was up toward the top of this mountain. I figured I shouldn’t wander too far off, after all.”

“This mining mountain should have had a fair number of high-rank monsters, but… well, never mind. It’s about time I fulfilled your request.”

“I appreciate that, but what happened to your younger brother?”

This was something I had to ask about, just in case.

Because of that brother, I’d been through one tedious thing after another; I wanted at least a little bit of payback.

“My brother is right there.”

Wait, he’s here?

As I reflexively looked around, I saw a lanky middle-aged man who hadn’t been there before. Could that be him? Is that Dolf, the younger brother?

He had no presence, looked like he’d never been in a fight, and seemed like a quiet old man. If I had to say, he felt like the intellectual type—more suited for rear support.

“This guy is the one who caused all the trouble?”

I ended up asking while pointing a finger at him.

“Indeed. That is my brother, Dolf.”

So it was him… He still harbored hostility, so lowering my guard would be dangerous.

“By the way, did you find my hides?”

“I did. They were being kept quite neatly as part of a collection.”

I guess that’s better than them being sold off.

“I brought them so I could have clothes made, so go ahead and process them into garments.”

“Hardly the sort of request one makes to a King.”

“Then introduce me to a skilled craftsman.”

“There is no craftsman who surpasses me.”

“Then I’m asking you, Dowal.”

It was a conversation that sounded like it was between a mere craftsman and an adventurer.

In reality, it was between a King and a commoner.

What a strange relationship.

“Ryu, I have a request for you.”

“What is it? Is this about the flame?”

“Not just that. I want to entrust my brother with one of the tasks.”

Hoh. That would depend on what he wanted to entrust him with.

“What are the details?”

“I want to leave the creation of the clothes using the monster hides to my brother, so that I can concentrate on forging the dagger.”

Making the clothes, huh? Since I could leave the fangs to Dowal, I wasn’t worried about that part. However, Dolf had zero credibility.

For that matter, was he even any good?

“What I want to know is his skill level and his reliability. Well? Does he have any pride as a craftsman? If I’m handed a defective product on purpose, it’s my life on the line. I don’t want to entrust my life to someone like that.”

Those were my honest thoughts. I wasn’t in a combat class, but I felt I understood the importance of equipment well enough. I didn’t want to go into a fight with gear I couldn’t trust.

And I certainly didn’t want to wear armor made by someone I couldn’t trust.

“So he says. What will you do, Dolf?”